A common benchmark in the United States for determining when a driver is legally drunk is not doing enough to prevent alcohol-related crashes that kill about 10,000 people each year and should be made more restrictive , transportation safety investigators say .

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended on Tuesday that all 50 states adopt a blood-alcohol content -LRB- BAC -RRB- cutoff of 0.05 compared to the 0.08 standard on the books today and used by law enforcement and the courts to prosecute drunk driving .

`` Most Americans think that we 've solved the problem of impaired driving , but in fact , it 's still a national epidemic , '' NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said .

The idea for a tighter standard is part of a safety board initiative outlined in a staff report and approved by the panel to eventually eliminate drunk driving , which accounts for about a third of all road deaths in the United States .

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Hersman said progress has been made over the years to reduce drunk driving , including a range of federal and state policies , tougher law enforcement , and stronger advocacy . But she said too many people are still dying on America 's roads .

The board acknowledged that there was `` no silver bullet , '' but that more action is needed at the federal and state levels .

`` In the last 30 years , more than 440,000 people have perished in this country due to alcohol-impaired driving . What will be our legacy 30 years from now ? '' Hersman asked . `` If we do n't tackle alcohol-impaired driving now , when will we find the will to do so ? ''

Lowering the rate to 0.05 would save about 500 to 800 lives annually , the safety board said .

Under current law , a 180-pound male typically will hit the 0.08 threshold after four drinks over an hour , according to an online blood alcohol calculator published by the University of Oklahoma . That same person could reach the 0.05 threshold after two to three drinks over the same period , according to the calculator .

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Many factors besides gender and weight influence a person 's blood alcohol content , and many states outlaw lower levels of inebriation when behind the wheel .

The NTSB investigates transportation accidents and advocates on safety issues . It can not impose its will through regulation and can only recommend changes to federal and state agencies or legislatures , including Congress .

But the independent agency is influential on matters of public safety and its decisions can spur action from like-minded legislators and transportation agencies nationwide . States set their own BAC standards .

The board also recommended on Tuesday that states vastly expand laws allowing police to swiftly confiscate licenses from drivers who exceed the blood alcohol limits .

And it is pushing for laws requiring all first-time offenders to have ignition locking devices that prevent cars from starting until breath samples are analyzed .

In the early 1980s , when grass-roots safety groups brought attention to drunk driving , many states required a 0.15 BAC rate to demonstrated intoxication .

But over the next 24 years , Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups pushed states to adopt the 0.08 BAC standard , the last state falling in line in 2004 .

The number of alcohol-related highway fatalities , meanwhile , dropped from 20,000 in 1980 to 9,878 in 2011 , the NTSB said .

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In recent years , about 31 percent of all fatal highway accidents were attributed to alcohol impairment , the NTSB said .

`` I think .05 is going to come . How long it takes to get there , we do n't know . But it will happen , '' said the NTSB 's Robert Molloy , who helped guide the staff report .

For some , the vote struck close to home .

NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt noted that one of his relatives had been killed by a drunk driver and another is serving a 15-year sentence in a related death .

Many of the recommendations `` are going to be unpopular , '' Sumwalt said . `` But if we keep doing what we 're doing , we 're not going to make any difference . ''

The NTSB cited research that showed most drivers experience a decline in both cognitive and visual functions with a BAC of 0.05 .

Currently , more than 100 countries on six continents have BAC limits set at 0.05 or lower , the safety board said .

The NTSB has asked all 50 states to do the same .

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A restaurant trade association , the American Beverage Institute , attacked the main recommendation , saying the average woman reaches 0.05 percent BAC after consuming one drink . The group said it based that conclusion on a chart it said was used by auto safety regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -LRB- NHTSA -RRB- .

But NHTSA told CNN on Tuesday it no longer uses that chart `` as there are many variables '' that contribute to an individual 's level of intoxication . A new NHTSA chart shows a person with a 0.05 BAC level experiences `` reduced coordination , reduced ability to track moving objects , difficulty steering , -LRB- and -RRB- reduced response to emergency driving situations . ''

A beer industry trade group said it would examine NTSB 's recommendation for lowering the blood-alcohol threshold .

`` However , we strongly encourage policymakers to direct their efforts where we know we can get results : by focusing on repeat offenders and increasing penalties on those with BAC of -LRB- 0.15 -RRB- or more , '' said Joe McClain , president of the Beer Institute .

The safety board also recommend that NHTSA provide financial incentives to states to carry out the changes .

NHTSA , which oversees highway safety as a federal regulator and analyzes traffic crash data , said it would work with any state that wants to pursue a lower BAC standard to `` gather further information on that approach . ''

At Tuesday 's meeting , the safety board also championed laws allowing police to confiscate a motorist 's license at the time of arrest if the driver exceeds a BAC limit , or refuses to take the BAC test .

Some 40 states already use the administrative tool , which the NTSB believes is effective because it is swift and immediate .

And the board recommended more widespread use of passive alcohol sensors , which police can use to `` sniff '' the air during a traffic stop to determine the presence of alcohol .

The sensor is capable of detecting alcohol even in cases where the driver has attempted to disguise his breathe with gum or mints . If the sensor alerts , it is grounds for more thorough testing .

The NTSB recommended last December that states require ignition interlocks for all DUI offenders and said states should improve interlock compliance .

Tuesday 's recommendations were timed to coincide with the deadliest alcohol-related crash in U.S. history . On May 14 , 1988 , a drunk driver drove his pickup the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton , Kentucky . The truck hit a school bus , killing 24 children and three adults . More than 30 others were hurt .

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For a decade , 0.08 has been the blood alcohol benchmark to consider a driver intoxicated

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National Transportation Safety Board would like to see a nationwide 0.05 level

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The board would also like to see swifter action on taking away offenders ' licenses

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Restaurant , beer industries say focus should be on repeat offenders